The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning. Ever.

This homemade taco seasoning recipe has a pretty devoted fan base. One of my friends says she uses it like its her religion. Another couple of friends have given it away as neighbor gifts for Christmas. Everyone who tries it loves it as much as I do! It really is the best!

I distinctly remember the moment (about a decade ago) when it occurred to me that taco seasoning mix at the grocery store contained (gasp) a lot of the spices I had in my cupboard, and I COULD MAKE MY OWN.

Mind. Blown.

This was an exciting revelation to me. After looking at the ingredients of store-bought packets and noticing spice combinations of mexican/southwestern dishes that I make, I came up with my own homemade taco seasoning.

I like it because it has a lower salt content than most store-bought brands, no fillers, and doesn’t have MSG. (Some brands don’t have this anyway. Nice job!) So, it’s perfect if you’re into clean eating or trying to make some gluten free taco meat. It’s dairy free, too, but most taco seasoning is. I think. Who knows, these days?

This is one of the oldest and most beloved recipes on my site. I decided to give it a makeover because it deserved some nice photos. And more poetic love.

[Insert “Ode to Homemade Taco Seasoning” — someone has one, right? I’m SO not a poet, so don’t look at me.]

If you scan the list of ingredients and think, “What the. . . cocoa?!” I’m not crazy, I promise — cocoa is no stranger to Mexican cooking (think mole). It makes the flavors richer, but it doesn’t make your tacos taste like chocolate, I promise.

You can use this blend in any recipe that calls for taco seasoning, and it turns out just as good, if not better, than a taco seasoning packet. It has familiar, common spices, too, like chili powder, onion powder, and a little cayenne pepper.

I played around adding smoked paprika in this, but I liked it better without. If you want a blend that’s smokier, try my Chorizo Seasoning.

Oh, and it’s cheaper this way. I made a big mason jar of it for a lot less than spending $1+ per packet. Gotta love frugality. If you don’t have a cabinet shelf dedicated to storing mason jars (ahem) just store it in an airtight container.

My favorite part about making spice blends is stirring (or shaking) it all together. My little 4-year-old was sitting next to me, begging to stir up my spices. Why do the littles always arrive when you’re at the “fun” phase of dinner prep? Or baking? Sometimes I let them do the fun parts if they help me clean up.

The sacrifice of being a mother, right?

Most of the time I layer it right into a mason jar, take a photo of it, and post it on Instagram with the hashtag #spiceblendsandart. If you happen to think this taco seasoning deserves some Insta love, tag me @perrysplate and use my hashtag!

Just for reference, you’d need about 2 Tablespoons of the taco seasoning to season one pound of ground beef. (Or ground chicken/turkey/pork.) I love making taco salad bowls and using some seasoned cauliflower rice is super good, too!

Taco seasoning packets usually have some kind of thickener, like flour. You can make it gluten free really easily by using corn starch or potato starch. And make it paleo or Whole30 compliant by using arrowroot or tapioca flour. Or just omitting the thickener entirely and making it truly keto friendly. It makes this blend more potent that way, so use less if you go that route.

Although with the amount of thickener in there, it might not affect your carbs that much if you happen to be watching your macros.

It’s nearly impossible to find Whole30 taco seasoning or even paleo taco seasoning, so I hope this helps!

Have you tried some of my other seasoning blends? Here are a few of my favorites:

More Homemade Seasoning Mixes

Homemade Dry Ranch Mix — I use this mix more than any other mix in my cupboard. And I always have a mason jar full of ranch in my fridge. I’m basically a 6-year-old.

Sweet Potato Fry Seasoning — Another staple that I ALWAYS have on hand! I use this one for sweet potato fries, and sometimes as a dry rub for grilled chicken or when something needs a southwest kick. (Like ranch. It’s good in ranch dressing.)

Perry's Plate Homemade Taco Seasoning

Making homemade taco seasoning is easy and you probably already have the ingredients in your cupboard. You'll love the secret ingredient in this version!

Ingredients

To make enough to season roughly 1 pound of ground meat:

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons tapioca or arrowroot flour/starch

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

To make about 1 cup of seasoning:

1/4 cup chili powder

2 Tablespoons tapioca or arrowroot flour/starch

4 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons dried oregano

4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

4 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Instructions

Combine all well and store in an airtight container.

Use 2 Tablespoons of seasoning plus about 1/3-1/2 c water to season about 1 pound of ground meat for tacos. (Depending on how strong and saucy you like it.)

Notes

Nat's Notes:

If you'd like it spicier double the amount of cayenne pepper.

Feel free to leave out the tapioca/arrowroot. I like it because it thickens the sauce in my taco meat when I add a little water. It's not necessary though, but if you leave it out, keep in mind that it'll be more concentrated.

29 comments on “The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning. Ever.”

Natalie,I’m so excited to try this. It seems like more and more recipes that we want to make lately call for Taco Seasoning, and I’ve run into two problems. One, all seasonings are not created equal, and I’m not sure which kind we like best…I usually go for the cheapest one, which brings me to my next point. I can’t stand to spend $1.00 for a seasoning that will only last one meal. Your recipe has solved both of my dilemmas and is sure to make my husband very happy. He loves anything Mexican, and now he won’t have to sit and wait in front of the spices at the grocery store while I debate about which packet to buy. Thanks again! ~Lindsey

Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that I used your recipe in our super-delicious burritos. I'm ashamed to say that I had to omit the cocoa (we just moved and I don't have the money to buy ALL the different spices just now). But! It still tasted great. One of the "taste-testers" was very impressed and commented specifically on the meat spices. Your help with our burritos was much appreciated :-)

I use this ALL THE TIME now! Thank you!!!! I love being able to customize it to our tastes because store-bought ones are either not spicy enough or too spicy. And Iove the addition of the cocoa powder!

Hi Natalie, I’m 5 1/2 years late to the party but I have made this so many times! I recently got one of the empty spice bottles from penzeys & I finally made the larger version of this to have it on hand. Do you need to do anything special to stop the mix from clumping over time? I don’t want to ruin it. Thanks!

I’d forgotten to pick up taco seasoning recently, frantically opened up Pinterest and I was intrigued by the “secret ingredient”, so I clicked.

WOW. Oh man. This is so good. I didn’t have some of the ingredients but made do with what I did have; I put smoked paprika in to add depth as I didn’t have chilli, and oh boy it tasted great. I’m buying all of the ingredients in bulk and making up a big jar; I’ll try and remember to layer it, take a pic and use your hashtag!

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Hi, I’m Natalie!

All families deserve a stash of healthy, easy meals that their kids love. Since 2008, Perry's Plate has become our stash of winning recipes -- many of which are paleo and gluten-free. I hope you find some recipes that become your favorites, too!